67-year-old captain dies on Sydney party cruise

Captain dies on Sydney party cruise
March 4, 2018 http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/captain-dies-on-s...

A PARTY cruise on Sydney Harbour turned tragic when crew discovered ship’s captain slumped over the steering wheel.

A CELEBRATORY cruise turned to tragedy in Sydney overnight when the boat’s captain suffered a fatal heart attack at the wheel.

About 200 passengers were celebrating a birthday on board the Constellation Cruise vessel which was set to sail Sydney Harbour on Saturday night.

But shortly after the ship departed King Street Wharf, it became apparent all was not well.

According to Channel 7, others on the harbour at the time noticed she ship’s captain, Howard Bovill, 67, slumped over the ship’s steering wheel.

Constellation employee John Anogiankis was on board the cruise, and said he rushed to Mr Bovill’s aid when instinct kicked in.

“It was a gut feeling — instinct,” he told Seven. “I just ran up and the captain wasn’t in a good way.”

Crew began CPR on the captain and brought the vessel under control and another charter boat helped bring him to the wharf.

The 67-year-old was taken to St Vincent’s hospital where he later died.

No one else was injured in the incident. A Sydney Ferry master told Seven that if the boat crashed into one of the nearby ferry wharves it was heading towards there would have been “massive casualties”.